Two Republican Senate candidates call for swift end to Iran war

Two Republicans in tight US Senate races called on Monday for a swift end to the war in Iran, signaling that vulnerable candidates are distancing themselves from President Donald Trump over a conflict that has driven up fuel prices, including a surge in diesel to record highs.

Who are the Republican Senate candidates calling for an end to the Iran war?

Mike Rogers, locked in a competitive Michigan race against Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, and Ashley Hinson, facing Democrat Josh Turek in Iowa, both struck a more dovish tone on Monday.

Both candidates had previously backed Trump's authority to strike Tehran. The shift was especially notable for Hinson, a sitting House member who has voted six times against measures curbing Trump's war powers, including as recently as last week.

What did the candidates say about ending the war?

Hinson wrote on social media that "Iowans are being squeezed and shouldn't have to foot the bill at the pump or the checkout line for the war in Iran." She called for suspending gasoline taxes, pausing diesel exports, and bringing the war "to a successful and immediate end." Rogers echoed this in a campaign ad filmed at a grocery store, saying the war "needs to end and end quickly" so energy costs can fall.

Rogers also called for suspending state and federal gasoline taxes and imposing a temporary halt on US diesel exports. Diesel prices carry particular political weight in Iowa, where agriculture drives much of the state's economy and farmers rely heavily on diesel-powered equipment. This is a shift from Rogers' earlier position: in a late-July CBS Detroit interview, he argued against curbing Trump's authority to continue the conflict while negotiations were ongoing.

Why are Republicans distancing themselves from Trump on Iran?

The remarks reflect growing concern among vulnerable Republican candidates that the nearly seven-month conflict is becoming a political liability ahead of the November midterms.

Control of narrow Republican majorities in the House and Senate hangs on the outcome. Americans have soured on both Trump's handling of the economy and the war as inflation stays high, with his approval rating falling to a career low of 32% in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll released Monday.

Democrats have called the shift election-year repositioning. "Mike Rogers is only flip-flopping now because gas hit $5 a gallon and diesel prices hit record highs," El-Sayed said in a statement. Turek made a similar point on X, writing, "It's easy to send a tweet, but when you had the chance to vote to end this war, you chose not to."

Which other Republicans have distanced themselves from Trump recently?

Rogers and Hinson are not the only Republicans breaking from Trump in recent weeks. Iowa Representatives Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, both facing tough House re-election bids, reversed their prior stances last week and joined Democrats in voting to limit Trump's war powers in Iran.

On Thursday, Florida Representative Maria Elvira Salazar released an ad warning that Trump's immigration crackdown had gone too far and that some Hispanic supporters felt betrayed.